A team of astronomers using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope have detected a mysterious, almost perfectly spherical object in deep space.
Mysterious Spherical Object Spotted by its Radio Emissions In a pre-published study titled “The mystery of a perfectly shaped new Galactic supernova remnant,” the astronomy team behind the puzzling discovery details the aspects of the unusual spherical object that support classification as an SNR.
According to the study authors, if it is a Galactic SNR, the mysterious spherical object has “one of the lowest surface brightnesses” ever discovered.
Three Possible Formation Scenarios Although the team cannot definitively classify their mysterious object as an SNR, they propose three potential scenarios for Teleios’ origin.
After examining their findings, they determined that classifying the spherical object as one particular type of SNR is not currently possible.
A team of astronomers has discovered an enigmatic, nearly perfectly spherical object in deep space using the Australian sq\. Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope.
The spherical object, which was named Teleios, which means “perfection” in Greek, was undetectable except for the radio emissions it emits. Although it shares many characteristics with a supernova remnant (SNR), it also has characteristics that make it difficult to identify right away.
Using its radio emissions, a mysterious spherical object was discovered.
The astronomy team responsible for the perplexing discovery describes the features of the peculiar spherical object that lend support to its classification as an SNR in a pre-published study titled “The mystery of a perfectly shaped new Galactic supernova remnant.”. To keep the true identity of Teleios a mystery, they also point out a number of peculiar characteristics of the object that appear to defy this conclusion.
“To explain Teleios’s unusual properties, we consider a number of different scenarios, each with its own set of challenges,” they write.
For instance, the unaided eye cannot see Teleios. Instead, it is “only observed at radio-continuum frequencies,” according to the study’s authors. This is in line with established SNRs. The object “displays a remarkable circular symmetry in shape,” according to the authors, making it one of the most symmetrical galactic SNRs ever found. However, the authors point out that a relatively symmetrical sphere could be produced by a supernova explosion in a pristine region of space, so this requirement does not rule out the SNR theory.
On the other hand, Teleios is remarkably faint for a Galactic SNR. If it is a Galactic SNR, the enigmatic spherical object has “one of the lowest surface brightnesses” ever found, according to the study’s authors. Because Teleios is missing something, it is also challenging to classify it as an SNR. In particular, the team claims that X-ray emissions are predicted by their SNR models, “which we do not see.”. “.”.
They write that “the lack of detectable X-ray emission is puzzling.”.
3 Potential Formation Situations.
While the team is unable to categorize their enigmatic object as an SNR, they offer three possible explanations for the origin of Teleios.
About 7,175 light-years from Earth, Teleios is an SNR in the first scenario, known as 1a. At that distance, the object’s diameter would probably be about forty light-years. In this case, Teleios would be younger than 1,000 years old.
The team suggested an SNR of 25,114 light years from Earth in the second scenario. Their readings would be explained by an SNR that is about 157 light years across at this galactic distance. This kind of SNR is probably older than 10,000 years, if it is accurate.
A third scenario, where the SNR is 3,262 light years away, was also discussed by the team. Only if Teleios were a Type Iax supernova, which “leaves behind a ‘zombie star’ remnant,” they observe, would this improbable scenario fit. “”.
All of the scenarios that were examined had difficulties.
The study’s conclusion includes a summary of the authors’ arguments for the various classification scenarios. Upon reviewing their results, they concluded that it is currently not feasible to categorize the spherical object as a specific type of SNR.
They state that “we have made an exhaustive exploration of the possible evolutionary state of the SN based on its surface brightness, apparent size, and possible distances.”. Every scenario has its difficulties, particularly in light of the absence of X-ray emission that our evolutionary modeling predicts will be detectable. “.”.
They state that “no direct evidence is available to definitively confirm any scenario,” even though they believe the Type Ia scenario to be the most likely. According to the team, “new sensitive and high-resolution observations of this object are needed” going forward in order to determine the origin of the enigmatic object.
